Nissan Motor Corporation plans to localise manufacturing of the new Terra pickup passenger vehicle (PPV) at the Japanese carmaker's plant in Samut Prakan, expecting to serve Southeast Asian demand.
Nissan said it is launching the Terra diesel platform to underline its commitment to the region. The model will be classed as a sport utility vehicle (SUV).
Customers in the Philippines can pre-order the Terra now, with deliveries starting in August. Nissan will also introduce the Terra in Thailand and Indonesia during fiscal 2018, which ends next March, followed by Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
The Nissan Terra made its world premiere at April's Beijing auto show.
Yutaka Sanada, senior vice-president for Asia and Oceania, said Nissan aims to meet Southeast Asia's increasing demand for mid-sized SUVs and PPVs with the vehicle.
The SUV and PPV segments are in the top three for sales volume and growth in the region.
"The Nissan Terra is being built in and for Southeast Asia, demonstrating our commitment to making innovation accessible to more customers in the region," Mr Sanada said. "The Terra also marks the latest step in our product offensive for the region and is an important part of delivering Nissan's mid-term business plan -- Nissan Move 2022 -- for Southeast Asia."
In Thailand's PPV market, Nissan will be the sixth brand to join the race.
The Terra is largely based on the Navara NP300 pickup, similar to other pickup-based SUVs like the Toyota Fortuner (Hilux), Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (Triton), Isuzu MU-X (D-Max), Ford Everest (Ranger) and Chevrolet Trailblazer (spun off from the Colorado workhorse).
The local PPV market surged 8.2% to 20,633 sold during January to April, while Toyota had the biggest market share at 42% with 8,664 sold, up 13.4% year-on-year.
Mitsubishi came in second with 4,276 sold, down 11.4%, and Isuzu was in the third spot with 4,115 sold, up 3.3%. Ford and Chevrolet were fourth and fifth, respectively.
Last year, the PPV segment fell by 1.8% to 59,576 sold.
At present, Nissan has annual production capacity in Thailand of 295,000 vehicles. Of that, Nissan can make 220,000 passenger cars; the rest are pickups.
Nissan Technical Center South East Asia, the third testing centre outside of Japan and an R&D hub for the region, is next to the manufacturing plant.